Discussions of Mental Health Issues for Gender Variant and Transgender Individuals, Friends and Family with posts by NYC Psychotherapist Ami B. Kaplan, LCSW.

SNL contribues to trans-phobia with ‘Estro-Maxx’ parody

by Ami B. Kaplan, LCSW on February 2, 2011

Yes, I know its comedy, but NBC’s Saturday Night Live TV show aired a ‘commercial’ for feminizing hormones who’s sole comedic purpose was to laugh at trans women during their transition. I think it send the message that its OK to laugh at transsexuals and contributes to trans-phobia.

Trans-phobia and any phobia is no small matter. It creates an ubiquitous message that its OK to make fun of gender variant people. It leads to shame, hiding, fear and anxiety.

How many transitioning transsexual women actually wear a beard? It’s more than farfetched. Also, notice in the skit that they had to get a tranny chaser in there too. Everyone knows that transgender people are fair games for ridicule. At least we should take heart that we make other people laugh. Laughing is good, right?

It would be great if SNL did a second Estro-Maxx commercial showing a few trannssexual women after transition. These women would be extraordinarily beautiful and the straight guys would be the objects of the humor. After seeing such beautiful women they would drive off the road, walk into light poles, or fall off a bar stool. Now that would be funny!

not funny at all and that skit just makes trans women the butt of a joke for no other reason except for a cheap laugh at our expense. It’s high tech bullying. not everything is funny. there is such a thing as good taste. a joke about 9/11 on 9/12 would not be funny because it would be seen as insensitive. and needlessly cruel. this is not really that different. very aspect of transitioning was distorted just to make a cruel joke. No trans female shows up at work or in public with a beard and mustache. or acts that stupidly. (except on tv or movies) and we don’t take pills 5 times a day. and no trans woman has ever seriously complained about taking her meds. the premise was made up just to make a cheap joke at our expense. i found that skit hurtful and degrading and those who think its funny are imho insensitive. family guy, letterman, now this. maybe if comedy writers were being discriminated against and murdered in the streets like animals, i could make a joke about them at their expense. would you laugh at that too ??
and what is the harm in apologizing? if the people at snl were to say they were sorry, that they went a little too far this time and hurt a segment of society that is already treated like crap in the real world. that maybe we did not need to be kicked in the teeth one more time just to fill up 6 min of air time. I get enough rude comments, stares, and harassment in real life. and it’s NOT because someone thinks they are making a clever funny joke. It’s because some people believe I don’t have a right to be treated like a human being,with dignity or respect.they are not writing a clever comedy sketch, they are taking away my humanity. and the fact that some genius can do it on a network tv show does not change that. the jokes are the same, the intent is the same. and the insult is the same.
it’s just done with better lighting.